You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Been looking at the usual suspects in the flat shoe areas but don't really want to be spending 70/80 quid on a pair of 510's. Anything else and where from?
I've always preferred Teva Links, they stopped making them a while ago now, but they were never very popular so there's still the odd pair online - sometimes they're very cheap.
They don't grip as well as 5-10's but they grip well enough for me and you can change foot position without lifting or tearing the soles - much more water resistant and last ages.
That's the problem, I've been wearing standard regatta cheap walking shoes and new pedals are shredding the soles.
+1 for the links, dead comfy too 40 quid online if you shop around
When I switched to flat pedals I wasn't sure if I'd get on with them so held off from buying flat specific shoes and used an old pair of Merrell walking shoes. No idea what model they were - I'd been using them for gardening for years.
The soles actually held up pretty well and after a year there's still no significant damage to them, it was the lacing retainers that started to break.
Having said that, you'd be looking at similar pricing to the 5:10s
I am using a pair of Donnay tennis shoes that cost me £9.50 from Sports Direct. Figured they were worth a punt. Grip very well and are comfy, light, and actually fairly waterprooof unless i fully submerge them.
The gum/beige old school sole on Adidas Sambas is really good on flats, nice and sticky....look cool on the trails too!....can usually be found online for £40.
Other flat soled shoes I've found work well are Adidas Gazelle and Puma Seude Classic, both of that 1980s style trainer with a nice solid platform before trainers effectively became running shoes and no good for cycling.
Again, both can be found for about £40.
Don't discount FiveTen, the grippy S1 sole can be found on cheaper models for £50-£60 sometimes, keep an eye on CRC's sales etc, scan eBay from time to time and you sometimes find a pair for sensible money. Avoid the S2 sole, it is sometimes referred to as their Marathon sole and is built for endurance not grip.
i've been using Giro Jackets for the last year and have found them to be a vast improvement over the standard etnies/DC skate shoes i used to wear. you can usually pick them up for a bit less than FiveTens if you hunt around a little, and they look more like a shoe you could wear off the bike than most FiveTen's i've seen do. I juggled discounts/vouchers a bit and picked mine up from Halfords for £35!
i also bought a pair of Specialized 2FOs a couple of months back, ready for when these wear out, and i'd say they're very similar, albeit a good deal lighter than the Giros are. they did cost more though, again with discount code juggling i paid £65 from Tredz...
Andy - apologies!
Just found your email, lovely to hear from you - send you a reply tonight.
I've only recently switched to flat from spd, so don't have a lot of rides on them yet, but Aldi Trekking Boots (£20) have been fine so far.
Ive managed to pick up really good condition second hand five tens cheap,Ive used the Shimano am ones but the five tens blow them out the water for stickyness,my mate ran Tevas till i lent him my spare five tens,never got them back but did get money for them